Chambana Sun

City of Champaign Human Relations Commission met May 15.

Here is the minutes as provided by the commission:

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call

Present: Commissioner Bressner, Commissioner Creighton Comer, Commissioner Elmore, Commissioner Felty,

Commissioner Turner, Chairperson Young

Absent: Commissioner Willie Comer, Commissioner Midden, Commissioner Shackelford,

III. New Business

a. Call for Action Civil Rights Protection - June 1, 2017

i. The Commission received some correspondence from the City of Pittsburgh that reaffirms the importance of civil

rights and asking Human Relations Commissions around the country to join forces and show solidarity in

preserving Civil Rights. The day of action would take place on June 1, 2017.

ii. The contents of the letter were then read to the public by the chair (letter included as attachment A)

iii. The question before the Commission tonight is whether members want to join the events in any way on June 1. Initial comments from Commissioners on participation in the June 1 event:

Elmore: Yes

Bressner: Yes

C. Comer: Yes

Felty: Yes, as long as it isn’t political. Keep the emphasis on human rights.

Turner: It is incumbent on us to do participate, but what is the policy alluded to in the letter?

Young: There is no specific policy mentioned in the letter, but policies in general are mentioned. It is the

mission of this Commission to support people

Elmore: There was some additional information emailed to us on this topic, referencing some specific items,

such as the executive measures that have been taken. We would be wise to not address that or come off as too

political. The three bolded categories in the memo are good pillars to build upon, and they do the things that

the Commission already does on a regular basis.

iv. Motion to support Day of Action moved by Elmore, seconded by Turner. The motion passes 6-0.

IV. Audience Participation

Charles Young, 1902 W. Kirby Ave., is here to learn about the HRC and what they do. Would like to ask about the call to action and what the Commission hopes to do. Will it just be informational, without being too political? What exactly will be happening on June 1?

Young: It was just decided that this action will not be political. Part of what the HRC is here to do is to ensure that people are not discriminated against based upon race, creed, nation of origin, or other characteristics, but the Commission just voted that we will find a way to support the cause without being too political. This was sent to us by a different HRC, and asking us to do whatever we deem appropriate to show action and support human rights on the specific date of June 1, 2017. The Commission’s participation will be more informative to the public, to let them know what we stand for. We can talk about what Civil Rights are, and how we support that without getting overly political.

V. Commissioners’ Comments

Turner: Has anything been done to show solidarity form other local agencies, or at the state level?

Felty: I am a member of the Interfaith Alliance in the area, and Rabbi Cook asked about a different statement that would come from religious leaders.

Young: Has not heard of anything statewide, or from Urbana. Seeing no other comments from the Commission, the chair requested open ideas from the Commission on how we can show support. Ideas included:

 Using it as a chance to stand up and say who the commission is and what they do.

 Support for the letter’s idea of a Press Conference.

o If a press event is held, it’s recommended to have materials ready to direct people to the website, providing

resources, and discussion upcoming events.

o Staff explained that Commissioners would need to consider location, time, and what else is occurring on

that day, along with considering what they will say once a press event is called.

o The event would be a great opportunity to invite others to come and speak about unity. Suggested groups to

invite include: clergy, NAACP, and other organizations that deal with unity and human rights.

o Other considerations would include whether there are other meetings on that Thursday, June 1 that they

could work with.

 Using this day as an opportunity to talk about all of the things that the Commission does, and not just focus on immigration.

 Promotion of the day of action on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media.

o Given the HRC does not have an independent social media presence, they would post information to the

City of Champaign’s accounts.

o Commissioners want to be sure that social media posts tie directly to other materials drafted for the day of

action.

 A Letter to the Editor or Guest Column, submitted to local media

o Commissioners encouraged the use of pre-written materials, such as the HRC Brochure, to make this task

easier to complete.

 Finding ways to incorporate local happenings and organizations to describe how strong we are as a community. Groups like Interfaith Alliance, Central Illinois Mosque, CU Surge with the Independent Media Center, Racial Taboo Events, and Panels at the Art theater promoting discussion on social issues

 Partnering with local media to utilize idea #3 from the letter – Telling stories of unity.

 Asking Urbana’s HRC to consider collaboration on the event.

Due to the quick turnaround of the event, the Chair recommended that two volunteers on the Commission be selected to form an ad hoc sub-committee to refine ideas, produce content, and act as spokespeople. Commissioner Elmore and Chair Young volunteered for the sub-committee.

A motion was introduced to delegate responsibility for the June 1 Day of Action to two volunteers – Chair Young and Commissioner Elmore – to form an ad hoc subcommittee. The subcommittee was delegated the authority to plan events and produce materials as needed to accomplish this task. Content produced would not need to return to the full Commission for final approval before being made available to the public.

Motion to delegate moved by Elmore, seconded by C. Comer. The motion passes 6-0.

VI. Adjournment

Adjourned: 6:26 PM

http://documents.ci.champaign.il.us/v/BwqebO6?hp=0B9AX7CNToF-5TVM4WFFHeDdYWVE%2C0B9AX7CNToF-5QUpvck9KcnA4ZDA%2C0BwyGnHue8C6RWTV1Tl9PX0gxSTQ%2C0BwyGnHue8C6ROGN6d0E3MVhoeEU&ht=0B9AX7CNToF-5ei1tS1IyOC1ycWc